Fricasse

Type	Entrée
Place of origin	Tunisia
Region or state	Tunisia
Associated cuisine	Tunisian
Food energy (per 1 (209 g) serving)	316 kcal (1323 kJ)
Nutritional value (per 1 (209 g) serving)	Protein 15 g Fat 6 g Carbohydrate 48 g
Media: Fricasse

A fricasse (Arabic: فريكسي or فريكاسي), (Hebrew: פריקסה) is a savory fried pastry often filled with tuna, hard-boiled egg, olives, harissa, preserved lemons, capers and mashed potato, with turmeric as a condiment.^[1][2] They are usually purchased from traditional Tunisian food vendors. They can be made at home or in fast food restaurants.^[3]

Oral history claims that the recipe originates in 19th century Tunisia, in a Tunisian Jewish family. The hostess had prepared ahead a large quantity of fried dough fritters for dessert for guests who did not show up, so instead of rolling them in sugar, she looked for ways to recycle them into a main course and simply stuffed them with the inexpensive common ingredients she had available (and which are standard fillings for Tunisian sandwiches). These fried-dough sandwiches were such a hit with her family, neighbors and their friends, that a new recipe was born.^[4]

Many Jewish families who emigrated from Tunisia or Tunisian-influenced regions such as Tripolitania or eastern Algeria (former Ifriqiya) to Israel still have this food as a family recipe, and it is therefore a relatively common street food in Israel.^[5]

References